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Man accidentally shoots himself at Alaska State Fair

A 37-year-old man was flown to a hospital Tuesday evening from the Alaska State Fair grounds after he accidentally fired a bullet into his lower pelvic region, according to officials with Palmer’s Department of Public Safety.

The unidentified man, his wife and two young children had left the fair and walked to their vehicle in the parking lot near the equestrian center, said Jon Owen, director of public safety in Palmer.

“The children were buckled into the car and he was getting in,” Owen said. “He took his gun out of the holster to put into the door. His finger went onto the trigger and a round was fired.”

A 911 caller reported the shooting at 6:54 p.m. Palmer police, fire rescue and an ambulance responded. The man was taken to the hospital in a helicopter, Owen said.

According to the fair’s 2014 Vendor Handbook, “firearms (or any weapons)” are not permitted on the fairgrounds, along with a list of other items including packaged alcoholic beverages, controlled substances and unauthorized hunting knives.